Monday, June 18, 2012

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san Episode 11 References

大ショックだ！

"I'm going to finish first!" (0:29)
"Huh? I can't drift!" (0:32)
"Who just threw that shell?" (0:35)
"The banana! The banana!" (0:39)
Nyaruko and company are playing "Mario Kart", a series of racing games starting with "Super Mario Kart", released for the SNES in 1992. Drifting is one element of the game controls. Shells are items that can be picked up during the race and thrown at other racers to temporarily stun them. Bananas are also items in the game that can be picked up. Bananas are dropped on the race track as traps and if a racer drives into a banana he will spin out of control. Here is a video showing each of these gameplay elements: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lHaf3oa69Q

"Ghutatan!" (1:51)
"This is the young lady of the Ghatanothoa Conglomerate, Ghutatan." (2:05)
There are four references here:
* Ghutatan and the Ghatanothoa Conglomerate are based on Ghatanothoa, a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos that first appeared in "Out Of The Aeons", a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald and first published in 1935.
* The name Ghutatan (グタタン Gutatan) is based on "G'tanta" (グタンタ Gutanta), another name Ghatanothoa is known by that is mentioned in "Out of The Aeons". (Thanks servitors for info)
* Ghutatan's pose here with her hand raised is likely referencing Akaza Akari who makes this pose at the beginning of most episodes of "YuruYuri", an anime that aired in 2011. The connection here is that the person who voices Ghutatan, Mikami Shiori, also voices Akari. Image for reference:
* Ghutatan's spiral hair style seems to be referencing the appearance of a monster from the Japanese TV show "Ultraman Tiga", Gatanozoa (ガタノゾーア), who has a spiral-shaped shell. In addition, Gatanozoa is based on Ghatanothoa from the Cthulhu Mythos.S1 Image for reference:
Source of image: http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/Gatanozoa

"I am her butler, Roy Fogger, the Lloigor." (2:08)
"Please call me Major." (2:16)
There are three references here:
* Lloigor is a species of creature in the Cthulhu Mythos that serve Ghatanothoa. "These latter, he said, were definitely aliens on our earth, and the chief among them was called Ghatanothoa, the dark one."S8
* In addition to being a pun on Lloigor, the name Roy Fogger is referencing Roy Focker, a character in the anime "Super Dimension Fortress Macross" that aired from 1982 to 1983. Roy Fogger asking to be called "Major" (少佐 shousa) is also referencing Roy Focker, whose rank is major when he appears in "SDF Macross".S1
* The title of Major is also referencing Major James Bukhar, a main character in "Sentou Yousei Yukikaze" (戦闘妖精・雪風), an anime released from 2002 to 2005. James Bukhar's voice actor, Nakata Jouji, also voices Roy Fogger.S1

(4:18)
The Japanese dialogue is "onegai" (おねがい), or "please". The dialogue, Yoriko's pose, and the hearts flying out in 8 directions from her face are referencing My Melody, the main protagonist of "Onegai My Melody", an anime series that aired from 2005 to 2009. Occasionally when My Melody asks someone to do something for her she will say "onegai" (おねがい) and clasp her hands together while tilting her head, and then hearts will fly out in 8 directions from her face.S1 Image for reference:

(4:39)
The phone Nyaruko is holding is based on the iPhone, created by Apple and first released in 2007. Image for reference:

"I nyow!" (5:00)
"I nyew it." (5:31)
The Japanese dialogue is "Nyaruhodo!" (にゃるほど！). This is using the Japanese term "naruhodo" (なるほど), which generally means "I understand", and changing the sound of the first syllable to "nya" to make it sound Nyaruko-like. "Nyaruhodo" is an often used word on "Nyaruraji" (にゃるラジ), a web radio show about "Haiyore! Nyaruko-san" that is hosted by Asumi Kana and Matsuki Miyu, the voice actors of Nyaruko and Cthuko respectively.S2 For example, the word was mentioned in episodes 3, 4, and 6 of "Haiyoru Nyaruraji -OMEGA-" (這いよるにゃるラジ-OMEGA-), the second season of the web radio series that aired in 2010.

(5:04)
There are two references here:
* Nyaruko's pose on the left is referencing that of Amano Touko on the cover of "Bungaku Shoujo to Shinitagari no Piero" (“文学少女”と死にたがりの道化【ピエロ】), localized as "Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime". This is the first volume of "Bungaku Shoujo" (文学少女), localized as "Book Girl", a light novel series written by Nomura Mizuki (野村美月) and published from 2006 to 2011.S2 Image for reference:
Source of image: http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4757728069
On a related note, volume 5 of "Bungaku Shoujo", "Bungaku Shoujo to Doukoku no Parumieere" (“文学少女”と慟哭の巡礼者【パルミエーレ】), localized as "Book Girl and the Wayfarer's Lamentation", mentions Cthulhu in it.S4
* The title of book on the right is "Nyaruko to Megurou! Kutouruu Sekai no Haiyori Kata" (ニャル子と巡ろう！ クトゥルー世界の這いより方), or "Let's Sight See with Nyaruko! How to Crawl Up in the World of Cthulhu". The title and the cover art are referencing those of the book "Moe E de Meguru! Kutouruu Sekai no Aruki Kata" (萌え絵で巡る！ クトゥルー世界の歩き方), or "Sight See Through Cute Pictures! How to Walk Through the World of Cthulhu", a guide book to the Cthulhu Mythos that contains many illustrations depicting the world of Cthulhu and elements within it.S2 (Thanks convexity for translation help) Image for reference:
Source of image: http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4861994039

"From artistic high school girls to nudists," (5:08)
There are two references here:
* "Artistic high school girls" is referencing Yuno, the main character of "Hidamari Sketch", a manga written by Aoki Ume and first published in 2004. Yuno is a high school student who is attending an art school and dreams of being a great artist. In the anime adaptation of "Hidamari Sketch" she is voiced by Asumi Kana, the same voice actor who voices Nyaruko.S1
* "Nudists" is referencing Kitahara Mio from "Ano Natsu de Matteru", an anime that aired in 2012. Mio is a nudist and is also voiced by Asumi Kana.S1

"Lost Girl from the Stars" (5:52)
The Japanese title is "Hoshi kara otozureta mayoigo" (星から訪れた迷い子). This is referencing "The Shambler from the Stars" (星から訪れたもの hoshi kara otozureta mono), a Cthulhu Mythos short story written by Robert Bloch and first published in 1935. In the story there is a creature called Star Vampire that is also known as "shambler from the stars".

(6:00)
There are two references here:
* The creatures that appear here are Shoggoths, a species of creature in the Cthulhu Mythos. "It was a terrible, indescribable thing vaster than any subway train—a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and unforming as pustules of greenish light all over the tunnel-filling front that bore down upon us...".S6 On a related note, the Shoggoths repeatedly say "Tekeli-li", which is referencing how Shoggoths are known to endlessly repeat this phrase in the Cthulhu Mythos.
* The Shoggoths are on a roof. This is referencing "A Shoggoth on the Roof", a musical published by the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society in 2005 that is based on the works of Lovecraft and is a parody of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof".S1

"Ia Ia" is a common chant phrase from the Cthulhu Mythos which means "Yes! Yes!". A well known example is "Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!", a chant worshiping Cthulhu which means "Yes! Yes! Cthulhu dreams!". The title as a whole is based on

「恋する妹はせつなくてお兄ちゃんを想うとすぐHしちゃうの」
"Koi Suru Imouto ha Setsunakute Onii-chan wo Omou to Sugu H Shichau no"
"It's Hard to be a Little Sister in Love, When I Think of Brother I Immediately Get Aroused"

This is the title of an adult game released by CAGE in 2003.
* The creature that the girl on the cover is hugging is a Mi-go, a species of creature in the Cthulhu Mythos. In "The Whisperer in Darkness", a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft and first published in 1931, it is stated, "They were pinkish things about five feet long; with crustaceous bodies bearing vast pairs of dorsal fins or membraneous wings and several sets of articulated limbs, and with a sort of convoluted ellipsoid, covered with multitudes of very short antennae, where a head would ordinarily be."

"Then I'll make us a good morning breakfast!" (7:41)
The Japanese dialogue is "Jaa, boku ga ohayou asa gohan wo yoi suru yo" (じゃあ、僕がおはよう朝ご飯を用意するよ). This is referencing "Ohayou!! Asa Gohan" (おはよう!!朝ご飯), or "Good Morning!! Breakfast", a song sung by Takatsuki Yayoi in the game "THE IDOLM@STER".S2 On a related note, Hasta's voice actor, Kugimiya Rie, also voices Minase Iori, another character from "THE IDOLM@STER".

(8:04)
The text on the package reads "Dagon Yooguruto" (ダゴン ヨーグルト), or "Dagon Yogurt", which is a reference to Dagon, a sea dwelling creature and a servant of Cthulhu in the Cthulhu Mythos.S1 Here is an isolation that might be easier to read:

"They're insects from Shaggai." (8:07)Insects from Shaggai are a species of creature from the planet Shaggai in the Cthulhu Mythos.

"Mirror of Nitocris!" (8:43)
There are three references here:
* The Japanese dialogue is "Cha ra ra cha ccha ra! Nitokurisu no Kagami!" (チャララチャッチャラ！ニトクリスの鏡！). The way in which Nyaruko unveils the mirror is referencing Doraemon from "Doraemon", a manga written by Fujiko F. Fujio and published from 1969 to 1996.S1 When Doraemon unveils a new gadget, often he will hold it up and say the name of the gadget, and the background will be drawn with an emphasizing effect. Image for reference:
In anime adaptations of "Doraemon", typically a musical chime sound effect will be played when Doraemon unveils the gadget, which is what Nyaruko's singing is referencing.
* The appearance of the mirror is based on that of a magical compact mirror used by Kagami Atsuko, also known as Akko, in "Himitsu no Akko-chan", a manga written by Akatsuka Fujio and published from 1962 to 1965.S1 Images for reference:
Image sources:http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0009V1D2Ohttp://ameblo.jp/12moya/entry-10154585050.html
* Nitocris is an Egyptian Pharaoh, though it is unclear is she truly existed or not. In the Cthulhu Mythos, Nitocris is described as an evil Egyptian queen. The Mirror of Nitocris appears in "The Mirror of Nitocris", a Cthulhu Mythos short story written by Brian Lumley and first published in 1971. The mirror once belonged to Nitocris and possesses mystical powers that enable its viewer to glimpse forbidden sights. It is described as "a 'gateway' to unknown spheres and worlds of hellish horror in the shape of a mirror."S10 Also, within the mirror dwells a blob like entity that can emerge from the face of the mirror at midnight.

"A thing, a bubbling blasphemous shape from lunacy's most hellish nightmare, was squeezing its flabby pulp out through the frame of the mirror into my room—and it wore a face where no face ever should have been."S10

When the creature emerges, it will attempt to drag anyone nearby into the mirror in order to consume them and absorb their souls.S5,S10

"It passed the Space ISO 9001 quality standard!" (9:17)
This is referencing the ISO 9001 standard, a standard of quality published by the International Organization for Standardization, abbreviated as ISO. ISO 9001 certification is granted to a company that meets the required standards. The certification requirements are intented to facilitate a good standard of quality management in companies.

"Oh? Mahiro, did you look at my Pretty Rhyth-" (9:32)
What Nyaruko was about to say is "Pretty Rhythm", which is referencing the game by that name released in 2010. It was adapted into an anime called "Pretty Rhythm: Aurora Dream" in 2011. In the anime, the main character, Harune Aira, is voiced by Asumi Kana, who also voices Nyaruko.

(11:39)
Nyaruko's pose is referencing that of Aihara Nana (相原 菜々) from "KimiKiss"(キミキス), a dating simulation game released by Enterbrain(エンターブレイン) in 2006.S2 Image for reference:
Source of image: http://lovesil.sakura.ne.jp/kimikiss/
The connection here goes as follows:
- Nana is the younger sister of the main protagonist in "KimiKiss".
- The company that developed and published "KimiKiss", Enterbrain, also developed and published "Amagami"(アマガミ), which was released in 2009. "Amagami", like "KimiKiss", is also a dating simulation game that takes place in a high school setting. In addition, both "Amagami" and "KimiKiss" share the same character designer, Takayama Kisai (高山箕犀). As a result, the games are similar to each other in terms of gameplay and visual appearance.
- In "Amagami", there is a character named Tachibana Miya (橘 美也), who is the younger sister of the main protagonist.
- Nyaruko's voice actor, Asumi Kana (阿澄佳奈), also voices Miya in "Amagami". However, she does not voice Nana in "KimiKiss". Nana is voiced by Nogawa Sakura (野川さくら).
- Nyaruko's line at this time goes, "Deko chuu, deko chuu, to misekakete!" (デコちゅー、デコちゅー、と見せかけて！), which translates to "A kiss on the forehead, a kiss on the forehead, just pretending!". "Deko chuu" (デコちゅー), "kiss on the forehead", is referencing a line said by Nana. Her line goes, "Deko chuu shite!" (デコちゅ～してっ！), which translates to "Give me a kiss on the forehead!". Nyaruko states that she is "just pretending", which relates to how her pose and spoken line are not referencing a character voiced by Asumi Kana, but instead are referencing Nana. Putting it all together, Nana is similar to Miya, who is voiced by Asumi Kana, both characters appear in games that have similar gameplay and appearance, and both games were developed and published by the same company.

(11:44)
The creature in Ghutatan's hair is a depiction of her base character, Ghatanothoa. It is described as "gigantic—tentacled—proboscidian—octopus-eyed—semi-amorphous—plastic—partly squamous and partly rugose...".S7

(12:00)
The maids that appear here are based on an illustration on page 271 of volume 6 of the "Haiyore! Nyaruko-san" light novel.S3 Image for reference:
On a related note, the maid that appears here is based on Tekeri, the main character of "Uchi no Meido ha Futeikei" (うちのメイドは不定形), "My Maid is Amorphous", a Cthulhu Mythos inspired light novel written by Shizukawa Tassou (静川龍宗) and published in 2010. Images for reference:
In addition to the visual similarity, the connection is made clear by the following dialogue on page 270 of volume 6 of the "Haiyore! Nyaruko-san" light novel.S9 When Cthune (クー音 Kuune), Cthuko's cousin, shows off what she bought, she says,

「どう、これ！ すごいでしょ！ 『テケリ』だよ！ 地球の日本、それも蜷川区でしか配信されない伝説のモンスターなんだよ！」

"What do you think of this! Isn't it amazing! It's 'Tekeri'! It's a legendary monster that isn't sold anywhere except in the Ninagawa Ward of Japan on Earth!"

To explain, in "Uchi no Meido ha Futeikei", Tekeri is a shoggoth from the Cthulhu Mythos. In "At the Mountains of Madness", a story written by H. P. Lovecraft and first published in 1931, a shoggoth is described to be "a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic bubbles". This is why Tekeri is described as "futeikei" (不定形), "amorphous", in the title. Her name is based on "Tekeli-li", a phrase shoggoths are known to endlessly repeat in the Cthulhu Mythos. Ninagawa Ward (蜷川区 Ninagawa-ku) is the name of the fictional city that is the setting of this light novel.

(14:45)
This is the book that Yoichi is reading.
The title of the book is "music of YSTE". This is referencing "Song of Yste", a book of occult lore from the Cthulhu Mythos that is mentioned in "The Abyss", a story written by Robert A. W. Lowndes and first published in 1941.S2

(15:09)
There are two references here:
* The girl dressed in black that appears on the left strongly resembles Alicia Y. Armitage (アリシア・Y・アーミティッジ Arishia Y Aamitijji), the main character of "ALICIA.Y" (アリシア・Y), a Cthulhu Mythos inspired manga written by Gotou Juan (後藤寿庵) and first published in 1994. Similarly, the black cat on her shoulder resembles Alicia's partner, Nyarl (ナイアール Naiaaru), whose true identity is Nyarlathotep.S1 Images for reference:
* The girl says "Chii suutaro ka" (血ぃ吸うたろか), which roughly means "Shall I suck your blood?". This is a gag line used by Japanese comedian Hazama Kanpei (間寛平).S2

(15:31)
As mentioned in episode 7 at 9:49, there are two references here:
* The name of Luhy's grilled octopus stand is Puti Kuti (プティ・クティ). This is referencing the mascot character by that name from the book "Moe Moe Kutouruu Shinwa Jiten" (萌え萌えクトゥルー神話事典), a Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia. Amazon link (not safe for work cover): click to view
* The creature that appears on the sign is the famed Cthulhu from the Cthulhu Mythos. In particular, the depiction is based on the appearance of Puti Kuti from the aforementioned book. Image for reference:
Source of image: http://f.hatena.ne.jp/servitors/20120524190732

(15:47)
The label on the bottle that Luhy is holding reads "Deep Ones", which is a reference to Deep Ones, a species of ocean dwelling creature in the Cthulhu Mythos.

"I did not expect to encounter Shoggoth here!" (16:55)
As mentioned earlier, Shoggoth is a species of creature in the Cthulhu Mythos.

"They're lost Shoggoths." (17:06)
"Weak and quick to run. An extremely rare character." (17:08)
"This is an opportunity to gather experience points!" (17:22)
The term "hagure shogosu" (はぐれショゴス), or "lost Shoggoths", is referencing "hagure metaru" (はぐれメタル), or "lost metal", a monster that appears in the "Dragon Quest" game series and first appeared in "Dragon Quest II". It is also known as Metal Babble and Liquid Metal Slime in localizations. Like Cthuko says, Liquid Metal Slime has low health, often immediately runs away when encountered, and appears very rarely. In accordance with what Nyaruko says, Liquid Metal Slime also gives out a large amount of experience points when it is defeated.

"Cyclone... Metal..." (17:13)
There are two references here:
* "Metal" is referencing the aforementioned Liquid Metal Slime from the "Dragon Quest" game series.
* "Cyclone" and "Metal" are referencing the CycloneMetal form of Kamen Rider W from "Kamen Rider W". In addition, the colors of the Shaggoths match the half green and half silver color scheme of Kamen Rider W's CycloneMetal form.S1 Image for reference:

"Spew your guts!" (17:50)
The Japanese line is "Harawata wo buchimakenasai!" (腸をぶちまけなさい！). This is referencing a line said by Tsumura Tokiko (津村斗貴子) in "Busou Renkin" (武装錬金), "Arms Alchemy", a manga series written by Watsuki Nobuhiro (和月伸宏) and published from 2003 to 2006.S1 Her line goes, "Zoumotsu wo buchimakero!" (臓物をブチ撒けろ！), which translates to "Spew your guts!". Image for reference:

"This is the end." (17:57)
The Japanese dialogue is "Ji endo nyan" (ジ・エンドにゃん), or "The end meow". This a line in the lyrics to the song "Happy New Nyaa" (はっぴぃ にゅう にゃあ), the first opening theme song to "Mayoi Neko Overrun!", an anime that aired in 2010.S2 On a related note, the person who wrote the script for episode 11 of "Haiyore! Nyaruko-san", Kimura Noboru, also wrote the script for several episodes of "Mayoi Neko Overrun!".

"Venom." (18:15)
This is referencing "Venom" (爆霊地獄 Benon), the signature spell used by Dark Schneider in "Bastard!!", a manga written by Hagiwara Kazushi and first published in 1988. Image for reference:

(18:50)
Ghutatan's lying down state is referencing that of Yamcha in chapter 215 of volume 18 of "Dragon Ball", a manga series written by Toriyama Akira and published from 1989 to 1995.S1 The series was later republished in 2002 as 34 volumes, rather than the original 42. In this republication, the scene with Yamcha still occurs in chapter 215, but in volume 15. Image for reference:

On a related note, the official anime website for "Haiyore! Nyaruko-san", http://nyaruko.com/, used to show an image of the full cast. Image for reference:
However, to reflect the end of episode 11, the website now has a picture of Mahiro alone, with the rest of the cast missing.S1 Image for reference:

00:35 - Nyaruko, Hastur, and Kuuko are playing Mario Kart08:45 - Nyaruko mimicks Doraemon08:52 - The long, dark vines represents the unworldly entities of the gate from Full Metal Alchemist14:01 - A reference of "The Scream" by a Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch17:54 - Classic rapid punch and onomatopoeia by Kenshiro from Hokuto no Ken

Next episode title "He waits, dreaming" (夢見るままに待ちいたり) is obviously a reference to the famous phrase "In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming" (ルルイエの館にて死せるクトゥルー夢見るままに待ちいたり) from the The Call of Cthulhu.

(0:00-) I think Mahiro's thoughts to himself references Kyon in Haruhi (talking about a quiet life and stuff)(4:17) That, of course, is an Apple iPad.(6:03) Those things are Shoggoths, identifyable from their "Tekeli-li" sounds and their shapes.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoggoth(8:00-) It's as Nyauko says, an insect from Shaggoth (also known as a Shan)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_from_Shaggai(9:17) Over 9000 joke from DBZ?(9:34) Referencing the Pretty Rhythm arcade game/manga/animehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Rhythm(14:53) Yasaka is using a Mac with the Mac keyboard

In regards Mahiro wanting to have a peaceful life, he's been saying that since the beginning of the series. Even episode 3 is titled "Yasaka Mahiro Wants to Live in Peace". The concept of a character just wanting to live a normal life is not uncommon. Unless a quotation can be provided that is exactly the same as what Mahiro says, I don't think this is referencing anything in particular.

(4:03) The tent behind Mahiro's mom is based on the tent in the base camp of Monster Hunter Frontier (this is the best image i could find of it)http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090605143334/mhfkr/images/3/34/Tent_mountain.JPG

Oh dang, my bad. I was so busy working on episode 12 that I forgot to add this one. Thanks for the confirmation on this. I did a little more searching and, as it turns out, that tent has appeared in the "Monster Hunter" game series since the very first "Monster Hunter". Sorry again about the lateness. Thanks for the info! Added.

I don't know about this. Considering all the references that this show makes, it seems unlikely that it would reference a Baldur's Gate. Also, the Japanese dialogue is "Yatsu no me wo nerae!" (奴の目を狙え！), which is slightly different from the Japanese translation of the Baldur's Gate line, "Go for the eyes", which is simply "Me wo nerae!" (目を狙え！).

Sorry for the late response. That's an interesting observation. This is possible. It sounds a bit like the "Taiyou nanka mabushikutte"(太陽なんか眩しくって) line, however she doesn't sing enough notes for me to really be sure of this.

I went and checked and Mahiro says, "Imouto ga itara, konna kanji nano ka na" (妹がいたら、こんな感じなのかな), while Shirou says, "Ore ni imouto ga itara, konna kanji ka na" (俺に妹がいたら、こんな感じかな). The two sentences are similar in construction, and the meanings are basically the same. However, unlike most cases where this level of similarity would likely indicate a reference, the sentence in question is commonly used in normal situations. The scenario of someone who doesn't have a sister wondering what having a sister is like is similarly common. For example, Takatsuki Kanade says nearly the same line, "Imouto ga itara, konna kanji ka na" (妹がいたら、こんな感じかな), in episode 8 of "Asura Cryin'". On the whole, I don't believe the sentence is particularly noteworthy. It isn't something significant or meaningful to "Fate/stay night", and it isn't a phrase that is strongly associated with Shirou. Considering all the references that I have encountered in the show, this line doesn't feel like a reference. I think that this is just a coincidence.